Bonzi and Lualdi: tell you something these two names? I think its not, a bit 'cause I'm a little older than you, and a bit' to the fact that certain events, even if they are extraordinary, most striking the imagination and enthusiasm of the Italian communities abroad, while leaving indifference most people in the Motherland.
then present them to you:
Maner Lualdi, lived between 1912 and 1968, a journalist of the Corriere della Sera ", aviator, businessman and financier of theatrical performances, generous man and, therefore, often with aching notes of debts;
Leonardo Bonzi, of noble lineage , Earl, who lived between 1902 and 1977, Gold Medal for Valor Aircraft, 4 silver medals to the VM pilot with world records, Olympic Mountain, Italian champion in tennis, Gold Medal of Valor Atletico, lawyer , writer and journalist.
Two men more different, even physically, could not have been, but friends for life. In 1949, a joint board plane from tourism, an SAI-Ambrosini 1001 "Grifo", began their flight from London to Buenos Aires to raise funds for assistance Opera Don Carlo Gnocchi.
The initiative was to start from Don Gnocchi, who had the idea of \u200b\u200bsending a message to the Italian community in South America to present the urgent need of financial assistance for the thousands of children orphaned, maimed and mutilated of war, mainly because of land mines, of which dealt with that priest.
The aircraft used, named, of course, "The angel of the children," era un comune aereo biposto da turismo ad ala bassa, con carrello fisso. Il suo motore, costruito dall’Alfa Romeo, aveva una potenza di 130 Cavalli e consentiva all’aereo una velocità media di poco superiore ai 200 km/h . Per renderlo adatto al volo con temperature tropicali fu dotato di un’elica metallica a passo variabile prodotta dall’Alfa, ed inoltre furono aggiunti serbatoi ausiliari di benzina e olio per aumentarne l’autonomia e consentirgli di volare senza scalo per le 26 ore necessarie alla trasvolata atlantica dall’Africa settentrionale all’America del Sud.
Per guadagnare in peso, il piccolo aereo fu privato even the radio board and the two pilots had to rely on their skills, their meticulous preparation, and luck.
At the start, more of a jalopy that it was said that she would not ever done, but Bonzi and Lualdi, however, arrived in Buenos Aires where they were received with great enthusiasm. The Committees for the collection of funds, set up in all the cities affected in the path, between the poor Italian immigrants gathered more than 500 million pounds, a huge sum for that time, when milk costs 100 lira per liter. The two riders were greeted with full honors by the President and Péron moglie Evita nella loro dimora. L’apparecchio fu poi donato all’Argentina con una solenne cerimonia a ricordo dell’impresa, ma, purtroppo, nel mese di maggio 1949 precipitò e andò distrutto causando la morte dei due aviatori italo-argentini cui era stato affidato per un giro propagandistico nel Centro-America. Nel Museo dell’Alfa Romeo ne è esposta una perfetta replica.
A questo punto vi sarete chiesti cosa c’entro io con Bonzi e Lualdi, e con questa storia. Nel 1949 avevo 19 anni ed attraversavo un periodo di grave crisi psicologica: la prematura scomparsa di My father, not being able to overcome the psychological and physical examination for admission to the Competition Air Force Academy (I was thin, thin, and weighed, then, only 47 pounds!) and, last but not least, to have due dropping out of engineering because of the economic difficulties of my family, I had brought to the brink of depression. Yet, when the "Corriere di Tripoli" I learned that "The angel of the children" Bonzi and Lualdi, as a transfer flight from London before making the leap across the Atlantic, had been at the airport of technical Castel Benito (Tripoli), I could not resist the urge to go see it. Così, in sella alla mia “Lambretta” (di cui ero stato il primo acquirente ed utilizzatore in Libia, nonché il fondatore del Lambretta Club di Tripoli), incurante della pioggia scrosciante di quel giorno, mi diressi verso l’aeroporto confidando nella scarsa sorveglianza all’ingresso per potermi intrufolare senza essere notato. Così avvenne infatti e, raggiunto il piazzale antistante gli hangar, notai subito il SAI-Ambrosini 1001, con la matricola I-ASSI dipinta sulla fusoliera, che faceva bella mostra di sé mentre Maner Lualdi intratteneva un gruppo di ospiti, presumo esponenti della Comunità italiana, illustrando loro le finalità del raid aereo. Facendomi coraggio mi aggregai that group of people, and with a boldness that I myself had then to amaze me, I turned directly to Lualdi asking him to be flown by him.
I stared without answering, perhaps even annoyed by my intrusion, but she definitely feel in my application a tone of supplication, because he, after having entertained his guests for a few minutes, I turned again with inviting eyes a wave of his hand to climb with him on the small plane. When the engine and brought the airplane on the runway, the plane took off quickly by running a flight over the city and the surrounding oasis.
descended dall’aeroplano barcollando per l’emozione, ancora incredulo di ciò che mi stava accadendo, anche se quello, in realtà, non era stato il mio battesimo dell’aria: infatti avevo già volato, in qualità di passeggero, sul Fiat G.12 dell’Alitalia in occasione del mio viaggio per sostenere gli esami di ammissione all’Accademia Aeronautica. Quel volo, però, a fianco ad un uomo così famoso, mi aveva regalato un’emozione che nessun trimotore avrebbe mai potuto eguagliare, ed il cui ricordo mi coinvolge emotivamente ancora oggi.
Ugo Passanisi
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